Special Unit 2
by Cloud van Dyk
Summary: Haruka Tenoh and Michiru Kaioh are both members of Special Unit 2, a private organisation fighting crime, under the lead of Usagi Tsukino. Episode 4: Shadows Of The Past Part I uploaded
1. Episode 1: Introduction

Author's Notes: I really, *really* should try to get more sleep. If I don't, I get weird ideas…like that one. Well, the thought that led to the following story was very simple: what if the Sailor Senshi had no super powers, but were (more or less) ordinary people…and still fighting evil together? This is what I came up with ^_^ Hope you like it! Oh, and I had to make Hotaru a little older though…it wouldn't be very realistic to have an ordinary eight year old fight criminals -.- The fic will be Haruka and Michiru centred, the other's will get bigger parts than usual though ^_^ Oh, and just in case why you people wonder about it says Episode 1 down there instead of Prologue or Chapter 1: Special Unit 2 will be like a series on TV, with  a new episode every week (well, at least I will *try* to write a new one every week ^^; Most of the episodes will only have the length of one chapter, with the exception of a few arcs I plan on writing. 

Disclaimer: All mentioned characters of Sailormoon are © Naoko Takeuchi. I own the plot and the bad asses though, so please don't steal them ^_^ The title Special Unit 2 is © by whoever created the series, since I have no clue ^_^;;;

Dedication: Dedicated to Conny, who just gave birth to her son Marcel…bless both of you.

Special Unit 2

Episode 1: Introduction

"Good morning Usagi." Rei Hino spoke, looking up from her newest project only for the slightest moment when her boss, Usagi Tsukino, entered the room. "Morning Rei." The young blonde replied cheerfully, as always in such a good mood that it was almost scary. "How's it going?" she then asked, looking over the black haired woman's shoulder with suspicion in her eyes. "Pretty good." Rei replied, holding the futuristic looking weapon up and giving a slight smile. "Ami might want to do the precise adjustment, but other than that, it should be working." "Let me try!" Usagi demanded, grabbing the weapon from Rei's hands before the black haired beauty had a chance to protest, and aimed it at the door. She pulled the trigger just as it opened, and the net that flew out of the barrel and spread out wrapped around the just entering tall blonde, making her fall to the floor in surprise. Letting out a curse, the blonde freed herself from the net by using two knifes she pulled out of her boots, simply cutting it apart. "Hey!" Rei cried out, staring at the newcomer in anger. "Haruka! I still needed that!" "Your bad." The blonde ex-commando named Haruka replied, her low and husky voice sounding even gruffer than usual. Usagi blushed and giggled sheepishly. "Sorry Haruka!" she then blurted out, her blush deepening so much that her face was almost crimson. Haruka just grumbled and came to her feet again, tucking the two knives back to where they had been before – well hidden in her heavy biker boots. "Watch where you aim that thing the next time." She then grumbled before she stomped over to the coffee machine and helped herself to a cup filled with the precious – at least to her – liquid. "Charming as always, ne, Haruka?" a sweet melodic voice suddenly drifted from one of the adjoining rooms, and the blonde looked up, her usually hard and cold eyes softening visible at the sight of the person who had spoken. "Good morning, Michiru." Haruka spoke, a slight smile on her face. "A good morning to you too, Haruka." Michiru replied, walking over to the blonde smiling at her. Of all the people in the team of Special Unit 2, Michiru was the only one who seemed to be able to keep Haruka in line; most of the time, a single word or even look was enough to calm the blonde down during their missions. And that was why Usagi never dared to separate them during doing their job; only God knew what Haruka would do to a suspect or criminal if Michiru wasn't around to hold her back. "Where are the others?" Michiru now asked, turning away from Haruka to look at Usagi, who gave her another one of her cheerful smiles. "Makoto is in the gym, training the newbie…Ami is in the lab, as usual, and Minako is probably working on the database again…or flirting with the receptionist." "Hope Makoto isn't too hard on the new one." Haruka mumbled before she took another sip from her coffee, grimacing at the taste. "I'm sure she's not." Usagi replied, shooting Haruka a look that said "Better not get the idea to go over there and check." Haruka just grumbled again and leaned against the desk, putting her cup aside and digging her hands in the pockets of the black jeans she wore. Michiru shot her a worried glance; the blonde was always in a bad mood, but this day, it seemed to be worse than usual. "Anything new?" Haruka now asked, her intense eyes focusing on Usagi while she spoke. The young blonde nodded and walked over to her desk, opening one of the drawers and pulling a thick file out of it. She threw it over to Haruka, who caught it nonchalantly. "An easy job. Two men robbed a bank, and the police director wants us to find them." "Why isn't he sending his own men." Haruka shot back while she opened the file and started to read it through. "Because they have been searching for them for months and couldn't find them. And the director knows that we are the best, so he gave us the job." Usagi explained. Haruka just grumbled and handed the file over to Michiru, who accepted it gladly. "Fine. Who'll do it?" the blonde asked, though she already knew the answer. "Michiru and you of course." Usagi replied, sitting down while she spoke. "Kinda figured that." Haruka mumbled, starting to dig through her pockets. Finally, she found the pack of cigarettes she had been searching for, grumbled a quick excuse and left the room. "Something is wrong with her today." Michiru spoke as soon as Haruka had closed the door behind her, worry filling her voice. Rei looked up from her work in surprise, eyeing the aqua haired girl suspiciously. "You think so? I thought she was always like that." "She's always as grumpy as that, yes." Michiru admitted, her eyes glued to the door Haruka had been walking out through just a few moments ago. "But today…it seems to be worse than usual." "Whatever." Rei shrugged it off and concentrated on her work again while Michiru sighed and left the room, walking off to find Haruka. 

The blonde stood outside on the hallway, next to the open window, smoking her cigarette and blowing the smoke out into the air. "Haruka…?" Michiru softly spoke, approaching her colleague carefully. She knew how jumpy Haruka could be; once, when she had touched her unexpectedly from behind, the blonde had twirled around with lightning quick speed, and before Michiru had had time to realize what was happening, she had found herself up against the wall, with Harukas hand against her throat. Of course, Haruka had had let go of her when she had recognized her, but Michiru had learned her lesson after this ordeal. Now, Haruka looked away from the sight the window offered and at the aqua haired girl, and that was when Michiru realized how tired the blonde looked. "You okay?" the smaller woman now asked, walking closer to Haruka and putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Just tired." Haruka replied, throwing the cigarette out of the window and closing it. "Didn't you get enough sleep?" Michiru asked, hoping that she could get Haruka to tell her what was bothering her. "Nightmares." Haruka replied bluntly, digging her hands in the pockets of her jeans again. "Want to talk about it?" Michiru offered, although she already knew what the answer might be. Although she was the only one of the team Haruka seemed to trust at least enough to work with, the blonde never really opened up to her; when it came to questions about her private life, Haruka was everything but talkative. "No." the blonde now replied, avoiding Michirus eyes while she spoke. "Thanks for the offer though." She then added before walking off, leaving the aqua haired girl behind alone. 

"You know the rules. Take care, don't hurt the suspect more than necessary", a sharp glance at Haruka accompanied this words, "and as soon as you got him, take him here." Both Haruka and Michiru nodded, Haruka rolling her eyes when Usagi warned her about beating up the suspects once more.  "I won't kill them, okay?" the blonde finally barked, obviously annoyed with Usagi. "Well I hope so." Usagi replied, handing one of the new net-guns to the blonde. "Take this with you. It will help a lot." She advised. Haruka nodded and took the net gun, checking it. "It's loaded with three patrons." Rei piped in, gaining the attention of both Haruka and Michiru. "That means, you can shoot out three nets before you need to reload it. Don't forget that." Haruka nodded again, tucking the gun safely into the waistband of her jeans. She looked at Michiru and spoke: "Let's go", the aqua haired girl agreeing on that. Together, the two women left the HQ of Special Unit 2 and headed over to Harukas car, driving off. 

"Do we have any clues where the two could hide?" Haruka asked while she drove down the street, from time to time glancing over at Michiru. The aqua haired girl was working on her laptop, waiting for the two photo fit pictures to show up. "Not really." The younger woman answered when the pictures finally popped up on the screen. "The only lead we have are the pictures and the fact that both men probably had good contacts to the underground." Haruka sighed and lit a cigarette, opening the window of the car while she took the first drag. "Great. It could take us weeks to find them, then." Michiru gave her a smile and replied: "Knowing you, we will find them before the day is over, Haruka." Haruka glanced at her colleague for a second, her eyebrows jerking upwards. "I do hope that this was a compliment now." The blonde then mumbled. Michiru laughed and nodded. "It was, Haruka, don't worry." Haruka gave her a slight smile – once more making Michiru wonder if anyone else from Special Unit 2 ever had seen Haruka smiling, or if she was the only one who got to enjoy that sight – and finally stopped the car in front of a bar, named The Black Hole. "You wait here." Haruka ordered. "I'll be right back." Michiru nodded, knowing this ritual already. Haruka normally marched into the bar, grabbed the next best small criminal she found and threatened him with beatings until he either told her what she wanted to know or gave her the name of someone who knew more. This time, it didn't take Haruka long to find out what she needed; ten minutes after she had entered, the blonde came walking back out, a satisfied look on her face. She got back into the car and started the engine again. "Do you know where they are?" Michiru asked. Haruka shook her head and replied: "Not yet. But my…informant…gave me the name of the brother of one of the two robbers. If anyone knows, he does." Michiru let out a satisfied sigh and leaned back in the seat of the car. "Police searched for them for weeks, and we find them within one day. Makes you wonder why the police officers don't talk to the criminals, like you do." Haruka shrugged while she drove to the address her informant had given her. "If police asked them anything, they would know nothing." The blonde replied, stopping the car at a red traffic light. "But if I ask them…they know everything I need to know." "Yeah, because they are afraid you might hit them if they don't give you answers." Michiru teased, earning a snort from Haruka in reply. "My methods may be violent, but they work." The blonde ex-commando then spoke. Michiru whole heartedly agreed on that; every time she worked with Haruka, the two solves their cases fast, thanks to the fact that most people were scared of Haruka and told her everything they knew. The aqua haired girl had to admit that Haruka did look pretty scary; especially in her current attire, namely the heavy leather jacket, the black shirt and jeans and the biker boots. The fact that a long scar ran from the blondes eyebrow over her cheek down to her neck didn't really help with making her seem more peaceful. Finally, the traffic light turned green again, and Haruka drove on. After almost twenty minutes of driving in silence, the blonde stopped the car in front of a rather old house, looking at Michiru. "The brother of one of the robbers lives here. Let's get in." she spoke. Michiru nodded in agreement, and the two women got out of the car, locking it before they entered the house and walked up the stairs, searching for apartment number 12. Finally, the two found it, and Haruka knocked, calling out: "This is Special Unit 2! Open up now!" For a few moments, there was silence, then, a string of curses could be heard – followed by a shot which went right through the wood of the door, luckily missing both Haruka and Michiru. "Damn!" Haruka cursed, throwing herself to the ground, pulling her shocked colleague down with her. Two more shots rang, way too high to be dangerous; as soon as the echo of the second one had faded away, Haruka sprang to her feet and kicked the door, making it fly open. The man who stood behind it only had time to raise his gun; before he managed to pull the trigger, Haruka had drawn her net gun and fired. The net flew out of the barrel and wrapped itself around the shooter, making him fall to the ground with a strange "ooff"-sound. Haruka let out the breath she had been holding and tucked her gun back into the waistband of her jeans, walking over to the caught man. "Now that's what I call a nice hello." The blonde grumbled, grabbing the net and pulling the man to his feet roughly. "Be gentle, Haruka." Michiru softly reminded her partner, earning a short glance and a nod. "Where is your brother?" the aqua haired girl now asked, while Haruka kept the struggling man in a tight grasp. "I would either die before I tell you where my brother is!" the young man spat angered. Haruka gave him a humourless grin. "We can arrange that." The ex-commando spoke, and before Michiru had a chance to hold Haruka back, the blonde had lashed out and punched the poor prisoner square in the face. "Haruka!" Michiru scolded, shooting an angry glare towards her colleague. "Will you talk now?" the blonde asked, completely ignoring her partner's protests. The man nodded, feeling that this Haruka person could do much more harm to him than simply punch him. Quickly, he started to babble what he knew about his brother; as soon as he was done, Haruka freed him from the net by using her knives and gave him a cold grin. "Thanks for the info. You can visit your brother in prison soon." With that, both Haruka and Michiru left, continuing their search for the robbers. 

"You really shouldn't have punched him that hard." Michiru lightly scolded, though not completely serious. Haruka shrugged while she drove the car down the street, over to the address the brother of one of the robbers had given her. Finally, after almost twenty more minutes of driving through Tokyo, Haruka stopped in front of another house and turned the engine off. "You want to come in with me or stay here?" the blonde then asked, shooting a glance towards Michiru. "Of course I will come with you." The aqua haired girl replied, opening the glove department and taking out two pairs of handcuffs. Haruka gave her a slight smile before both women left the car again and entered the house.

This time, Haruka didn't waste much time with knocking and calling out who she was; she simply kicked the door open again, causing the two bank robbers who were hiding in the apartment behind it to jump up in shock. Haruka pulled out her net gun and aimed it at the men, yelling: "Special Unit 2! Nobody moves!" Instead of standing still like the blonde had told them, the two men decided to try all or nothing. They jumped away in different directions; Haruka aimed at the one that was closer to her and shot, but much to her anger, he avoided the net that came flying out to him. "Damn!" Haruka cursed before she readjusted her aim and fired again, this time hitting the robber and making him fall to the ground, hopelessly entangled. The blonde twirled around, already bringing the gun up to shoot the second robber too, but froze when her eyes fell on him. He stood close to the door, holding Michiru in front of him – and pressing a gun to her head. "Drop your gun, and I won't harm her." The robber now growled. Haruka realized that she had no choice; thus, she did what the man had told her and made her gun fall to the ground. "Good girl." The robber spoke, grinning. "If you would excuse us you…she is my security on my way out." With that, he turned around, but before he had the chance to move out of the door with his prisoner, Haruka kicked the gun that still laid on the ground, sending it flying with tremendous speed. It hit the bank robber in the back of the head, causing him to stumble; before he had a chance to regain his balance, the blonde tackled him from behind, throwing him to the ground. The man yelped in fear, but fell silent when he felt the cold steel of a combat knife pressing against his throat. "No one." Haruka snarled, her eyes blazing with anger and rage, "No one tries to take the friend of an ex-commando hostage and gets away with it!" "Haruka, don't kill him!" Michiru cried out, grabbing the blondes knife arm with both hands. Haruka looked at her, and Michiru nearly backed away at the pure anger that shone from the blondes eyes. "Please." The aqua haired beauty softly spoke, holding Harukas gaze with hers. Finally, the blondes eyes softened visibly, and she pulled her knife back. "Give me the handcuffs." Haruka ordered, Michiru gratefully obeying her. Quickly, Haruka chained the robber up, then threw him over her shoulder like some kind of potato bag. Michiru grabbed the collar of the second robber – who was still entangled in the net – and both women left, the blonde carrying one of the robbers, Michiru dragging the other one behind her. 

"Very good work, you two." Usagi spoke, more than satisfied with the job Haruka and Michiru had done. "I'm surprised that both robbers are not hurt at all." She then added with a wink. Haruka coughed and looked down at her boots, but didn't make any comment. Michiru stayed silent too; she just thanked Usagi for the accolade and accepted the extra pay check Usagi offered. Haruka of course did the same; she tucked the small piece of paper into the inner pocket of her jacket, mumbled a quick goodbye and left the room. Michiru looked after her for a moment, then also said her goodbye to Usagi and followed the blonde out. 

"Haruka! Haruka, wait up!" the aqua haired girl called out, running after her colleague who was walking down the hallway with long, fast steps. At hearing the voice of her partner, Haruka slowed down and allowed Michiru to catch up. "What is it?" the blonde asked, looking down at the smaller woman slightly impatient. Michiru gave her a gentle smile and replied: "Well, I wanted to ask you…if you'd like to celebrate our catch. With a cup of coffee maybe." Haruka seemed to consider this for a few moments, then shook her head. "Not now, Michiru…later, maybe. Thanks though." With that, the blonde hurried on, leaving the aqua haired girl behind. Michiru let out a sigh and leaned against the wall, wondering when Haruka finally would open up to her – and would accept her friendship, and maybe her love. 

End of Episode I 


	2. Episode 2: Hot Stuff

Episode 2: Hot Stuff 

Michiru sat in her room, in front of her laptop, reading through the latest newspaper articles with great interest. Her attention got drawn away from her laptop though when suddenly somebody knocked her door, making her jump. "Yes?" the aqua haired girl called out as soon as she had calmed down again. The door opened, revealing the blue haired head of Ami Mizuno, doctor and scientist of Special Unit 2. "Ami." Michiru greeted, smiling at the slightly younger woman. Ami smiled back and spoke: "Hey, Michiru. Usagi sent me to get you, for a meeting in the conference room." Michiru nodded and shut down her laptop, following Ami over to the big room where all meetings where held. Upon entering, the aqua girl say that all the other members of Special Unit 2 already were there; even Haruka, who normally showed up too late for all meetings. The blonde ex-commando stood in the far corner of the room, leaning against the wall, her bangs falling into her face and hiding her eyes. Unlike Haruka, the other members of SU 2 where sitting at the long conference desk; Michiru greeted them all warmly before she sat down next to Hotaru Tomoe, the newest – and, with her eighteen years, youngest – member of the team. "Haruka, please sit down." Usagi softly spoke. Haruka looked up at the voice of their leader, shrugged and sat down next to Michiru, staring down at her boots. Michiru shot her a worried glance; ever since the two women had caught the bank robbers, Haruka's mood had became worse with every day that passed. No one knew what was wrong with her, since she refused to tell anyone; not even Michiru managed to find out what was bothering the blonde so much. Now, Haruka started to play around with the sheet of paper that laid on the desk in front of her, her eyes refusing to meet those of anyone else in the room. "The reason why I made you all meet here", Usagi now started, finally causing Haruka to look up. The blondes intense teal eyes focused on the younger woman while she spoke. "According to recent newspaper articles – which you surely read by now, Michiru – there's a new drug circulating. You all probably wonder now why this concerns us", at this point Haruka mumbled "Damn sure", though nobody really paid attention to her, "but I will tell you right now why." Usagi continued, ignoring the comment the blonde had made. "Special Unit 2 cares about that drug because it is killing people. And with that I don't mean the regular drug deaths, I mean that everyone who takes it dies." "Then why do people still take it?" Minako asked, frowning. "Because they don't know that they are swallowing Hot Stuff, like Ami calls it." Usagi replied, looking at her blonde secretary smiling. "The drug dealers who sell it mask it as LSD or Ecstasy." "So somebody is killing off drug addicts, and you want us to find out who does this, and why?" Michiru threw in, earning another smile and a nod from Usagi. "Exactly, Michiru. But first, we have to get one of those pills into our hands." "Leave that to me." Haruka mumbled, looking up once more. "I have enough contacts to get one of those thingies before the night comes." Usagi nodded, leaning her elbows on the desk. "Alright, Haruka. Take off as soon as possible…Michiru, will you come with her?" Michiru just nodded, smiling at her taller partner, though she didn't receive a smile in return. "As soon as you have one of the pills, come back here." Usagi ordered before ending the meeting. The members of Special Unit 2 left the conference room, Haruka stomping down the hallway towards her apartment immediately. Michiru followed her, determined to find out what was bothering the blonde. 

Haruka of course noticed that Michiru followed her, but didn't bother to slow down. She really wasn't in the mood to talk about anything right now, and that was what Michiru probably wanted. The blonde finally reached her apartment and unlocked it; while she did so, the aqua haired girl managed to catch up to her. "Hey, Haruka." Michiru softly spoke, looking up at the taller woman. "Hey." Haruka replied, her hand resting on the doorknob, but not opening the door yet. Michiru just took in a breath to ask Haruka what was wrong with her when the blonde spoke up. "I know that you want to know what is bothering me. Don't mind to ask, I won't tell you." Michiru looked at the taller woman, a hurt expression in her eyes. "Haruka..." she started, but the blonde just glared at her and opened the door to her apartment. She walked in and slammed the door close, leaving Michiru behind on the hallway alone. 

"Michiru? You ok?" Makoto asked upon entering the spare time room, how Usagi called it, only to find the aqua haired girl sitting at the small table, staring off into nothingness. At the brunette martial arts masters voice, Michirus head came up, and she nodded. "Yeah. Sorta…" "Haruka again?" Makoto asked, sitting down next to the aqua haired woman, who nodded again in reply. "Exactly. She's just so…" "Cold?" Makoto offered, earning a sigh in reply. "Cold, exactly. And she won't let me get close to her…no matter how hard I try. The only time she really talks to me is when we are on a mission, but other than that…" "You know nothing about her, right?" Makoto suddenly asked, catching Michiru completely off-guard. "What…of course I know things about her!" "Really? Then when is her birthday?" Michiru just opened her mouth to answer the question, only to shut it again after a few moments, realizing that she didn't know. "I…I don't know." She finally admitted, at the same time realizing that Makoto was right. She knew nothing about Haruka…knew shit about her life before Special Unit 2, her family, whatever. "The only one who knows some things about her is Usagi, and she won't tell. The only thing we all know is that Haruka used to be in the army before." Makoto now spoke, gaining the aqua haired girls attention again. "Our grumpy blonde is making a secret out of herself, and only Kami-sama knows why." "I wonder why she left the army…" Michiru mused, leaning back in her seat and staring up at the ceiling. Makoto shrugged and got to her feet again. "I don't know. Anyway…I still have to train Hotaru, so I guess I'll see you later?" Michiru nodded and smiled at the brunette, who smiled back and left the room. The aqua haired girl followed soon after, the growling in her stomach making her head directly for the kitchen.

Haruka stood in front of the fridge, rummaging through it in search for food when Michiru entered. "Hungry too, I see." The aqua haired girl remarked, causing Haruka to jump. The blonde whirled around and stared at the aqua haired girl for a few seconds before the hard expression in her eyes vanished, only to be replace with a much softer one. "Yeah." The ex-commando then admitted, letting out a sigh. "There's not much here to eat though…at least not for someone with my cooking skills." Michiru couldn't help herself, she just had to giggle at that remark. Haruka gave her a small smile and shrugged, closing the fridge. "I wanted to cook something for myself, it won't make much difference if I make more for you." Michiru now offered, earning a surprised look and a nod. "Thanks then." Haruka spoke, sitting down at the kitchen desk while Michiru started to gather what she needed for a decent lunch. Soon, the food was cooking on the stove, while Michiru sat down next to the blonde, looking at her. "Can I ask you something?" she finally asked, causing Haruka to look up from the newspaper she had been reading. "You can ask anything." The blonde replied, but before Michiru had a chance to smile at that, she continued: "I just can't promise that I will answer your question." Michiru gave her a short glance before she asked: "What's bothering you?" Haruka sighed and looked at the aqua haired girl. "I told you that it's none of your business." She then spoke, her eyes getting cold. "And I think that it is." Michiru softly replied, capturing the blonde ex-commandos eyes with her own. "We've been mission partner's for almost a year now, Haruka, and I know nothing about you. Not even your birthday. But I like you, and I worry about you. So why can't you tell me?" Haruka shrugged and let out a sigh. "It's private." She finally spoke, hoping that this would be enough to make Michiru give up. Slowly, the blonde rose from her chair and started to leave; before she walked out of the room though, she looked back at the aqua haired girl once more. "Oh, and my birthday is on January 27th." With that, the blonde walked off, while Michiru just stared after her. 

Haruka let herself fall down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Then, her eyes wandered until they landed on the photo that stood on the working desk she used. It showed herself standing next to two older people; one of them female, with long, dark brown hair, the other one male with short blonde hair, very much like Harukas own. All three of them were grinning into the camera, the man who stood in the middle having his arms around Haruka and the other woman. Slowly, Haruka sat up, her eyes never leaving the picture while she did. Her hand shook when she reached out and took the photo, pulling it closer to her and turning it around. On the back of the photo, somebody had written the words "Yamato, Mariko and Haruka Tenoh – Spring 2000". Upon reading the delicate handwriting of her mother, Haruka could feel her how her eyes filled with hot, salty tears. This had been the last time that she had seen her parents alive; two weeks after that photo had been taken, they had been killed by a burglar after surprising him in their home. Next week, this had happened exactly two years ago, and as always, Harukas mood sank when the date of her parents death approached. Letting out a heavy sigh, the blonde put the picture back to where it had been before and wiped out her eyes before she checked her watch. Deciding that it was time to get Michiru and try to get her hands on one of the deadly pills, the blonde left her apartment, locking the door behind her. 

"Please be careful." Usagi spoke while handing a freshly loaded net gun to Haruka and a second gun with narcotic arrows to Michiru. "You never know what drug addicts or drug dealers are able to do." Both Haruka and Michiru nodded, Haruka putting the gun in the waist band of her jeans while Michiru tugged hers into the inner pocket of her jacket. The two women quickly said their goodbyes to the young blonde and left, walking over to the garage and getting into the car they always used for their missions. "Where are we heading first? The Black Hole?" Michiru asked while Haruka started the engine and drove out of the garage. The blonde nodded in reply, speeding down the street. "Exactly. I hope to find some information there." Michiru just smiled at Haruka and leaned back in her seat while the blonde drove on, over to the bar. As soon as they had reached the rather old building, Haruka stopped the car and looked at Michiru. "Wait here. It won't take long." Michiru just nodded, knowing that it was always the same when it came to The Black Hole. For some reason, the ex-commando didn't want her partner to go in there; Michiru didn't know why, but she trusted Haruka enough to just obey her and wait. Letting out a small sigh, the aqua haired girl turned the radio on and waited for Haruka to come back out.

Haruka entered The Black Hole, surprised to find it almost empty. The only customers where two men sitting at one of the desks, drinking beer and discussing something. The barkeeper, Stu (A/N: Yeah, yeah, I know that Stu isn't a Japanese name. He's American, so there ^_~), stood behind the counter, cleaning some glasses and looking at Haruka nervously. The blonde sat down at the bar, greeting him: "Hey Stu. Not much business today, ne?" "Get out." Stu whispered, shooting a nervous glance to something behind Harukas back. The ex-commando frowned at him. "Now that's a nice way to say hello. What…" She stopped talking when she felt something cold and hard being pressed against the back of her head. "If you like your brains where they are, don't move." A deep, male voice spoke into her ear, hot breath stroking over her cheeks. "I hope you know that I used to be a commando." Haruka pressed out between gritted teeth, clenching her fists. She still was waiting for a reply when suddenly one of the two men kicked against the barstool she sat on, causing the stool to fall over and Haruka to crash to the ground with a loud thump. While Haruka still tried to regain her balance, she heard how one of the men approached her, probably to kick her or to hit her with one of the other barstools. The blonde waited until the very last moment, then she suddenly rolled herself on her back and caught the barstool that came crashing down to her, causing the attacker to let out a surprised yelp. Haruka gritted her teeth and yanked the stool out of the man's hands, at the same time kicking forward with both legs, her boot-clad feet crashing against the guys kneecaps. The man screamed in pain and fell to the ground, suddenly finding himself unable to stand anymore; before his partner had a chance to react, Haruka had sprang to her feet with the agility of a well-trained fighter and rammed the four chair legs into his stomach. The man let out a gurgling "Ooff"-sound and sank to the floor, pressing both hands against his stomach. Haruka put the barstool she had used as a weapon down, her breath only a little faster than usual. Stu, who had been standing behind the counter all over the time, stared at her wide-eyed. "Haruka, that…that was awesome!" the barkeeper then cried out. Haruka looked at him and shrugged, lightning a cigarette. "Have an eye on those two for a second." She then mumbled before walking over to the front door of the bar and opening it. She looked over at the car where Michiru sat waiting and called out: "Michiru!" The aqua haired girl soon poked her head out of the window and yelled back: "What?" Haruka motioned for her to come over; surprised, Michiru got out of the car and hurried over to the blonde. "What's up? Trouble in the bar?" the aqua haired girl asked. Haruka slightly smiled and shook her head. "Took care of that. I just have to guys here that I think you should see." One of Michirus eyebrows shot up until it almost met her hairline, and she followed Haruka into the bar. Stu was keeping an eye on the two still disabled men, like Haruka had told him; besides keeping an eye on them, he also aimed a shotgun at their heads, much to Harukas amusement. "Well done, Stu." The blonde spoke, and the barkeeper let out a relieved sigh while he lowered his gun. "You…bitch." The guy who had met the barstool personally now groaned, glaring at Haruka with hate-filled eyes. The blonde just growled and stepped closer to him, grabbing his collar and pulling him to his feet roughly. She slammed the man against the next wall, holding him there. His companion, who still found himself unable to stand up, or even bend his legs, was kept quiet by Michiru and her threateningly-looking narcotic gun in the meantime. "Who are you, and why did you attack me?" Haruka now growled, her cold teal eyes capturing the slightly scared blue ones of her victim. "I…I'm just a small dealer." The man now stuttered, seriously scared by now. "And we attacked you because the boss told us to…" "Where can I find your boss?" Haruka asked, shaking the poor guy when he didn't answer immediately. _"Where?"__ "In an abandoned factory hall outside of town!" the dealer finally cried out, nearly wetting his pants in fear. "Is Hot Stuff produced in that factory?" Haruka continued her interrogation. The dealer nodded, hoping that this would be over soon; that blonde was really scary. "Do you have Hot Stuff with you?" Haruka asked, and the man nodded again. He started to move his hand towards his pocket, but Harukas death glare stopped him. "You keep your hands where I can see them." She then ordered while she started to search through the guys pockets on her own. Finally, she found a tiny plastic bag, filled with a dozen or so white pills. She threw them over to Michiru, who caught them easily and put them into the inner pocket of her jacket. "And the last question…tell me the name of your boss." Haruka spoke, grinning at the nearly crying man, making her look even creepier to him. "His…his name is…" he stuttered, only to be interrupted by his comrade: "Don't tell her!" Haruka turned her head and shot her most evil glare at the man, barking: "You shut up, or I will make sure that you will never walk again!" Scared, the man shut his mouth, while his partner finally stammered out the name of his boss. "His name is Keiichi Aoshima."_

"Haruka! Haruka, for Heaven's Sake, wait!" Michiru shouted, running after her colleague. After the dealer had spit out the name of his boss, Haruka suddenly had let go of him and had stormed off so fast that Michiru didn't even realize what was happening until the door had of the bar had been slammed close. The blonde ignored her, simply running on, until she suddenly fell to her knees next to the street, her fingers digging into her grass. "Haruka…" Michiru softly spoke, slowly approaching the blonde and kneeling down next to her. „What's wrong?" she gently asked, putting one hand on her partner's shoulder. Haruka's eyes were squeezed shut; she clenched her teeth so hard that the muscles of her jaw stood out visibly, and her whole body was shaking. "Haruka, tell me…come on…" Michiru literally begged, squeezing Harukas shoulder. Finally, the blonde looked at her, and what she said next shocked Michiru more than anything else could have: "The boss of those drug dealers…he's the one who killed my parents two years ago." 

"Oh my God." Michiru whispered, shocked. "But…if you know that it was him…why isn't he in prison?" "There wasn't enough proof." Haruka replied, digging through her pockets until she found her cigarettes. She lit one of them, her hands shaking while she did, and took a deep drag to calm herself down. "Police had to let him go again…and the night after he had been allowed to leave the prison, he called me and told me that it was him. Still, it wouldn't have helped if I had told that to the police…there was no one else who had heard him admitting it to me, and it would have been his word against mine…" "I'm so sorry." Michiru softly spoke, her hand moving away from Harukas shoulder to take her hand. "So that's why you were in such a bad mood…the death day of your parents." Haruka nodded, looking at the aqua haired girl, her eyes suddenly filled with so much hate and anger that Michiru almost backed away. "You take those two to the HQ. I have a murderer to kill." She then spoke, getting up and walking over to the car. Michiru ran after her, shocked at what the blonde intended to do. "Haruka, no! You can't kill him, we need to hand him over to the police!" Haruka ignored her and opened the glove department of the car, taking out a  Colt M11 and tucking it into the waistband of her jeans after checking if it was loaded. "We will hand his corpse over." She then spoke, looking at Michiru once more before she got into the car and drove off, ignoring the pleas Michiru yelled after her. 

Usagi and Rei both looked up in surprise when Michiru burst into the HQ, two handcuffed men behind her. "Michiru! Are you okay?" Rei asked, jumping up in concern when she saw the look in Michirus eyes. "Haruka…" the aqua haired girl stammered out, causing Usagi to jump up too. "What about her? Is she okay?" the cheerful blonde asked, worry shining through her voice. "She's out to kill the boss of the drug dealers!" Michiru cried in out reply, causing Rei and Usagi to let out shocked gasps before Usagi spoke: "Rei, get Makoto. We have to stop her." 

While Michiru informed Usagi about what was happening, Haruka stopped her car in front of the abandoned factory the dealer had told her about. She checked her gun once more before she got out of the car and walked over to the big metal door, kicking it open violently. She entered the factory, her gun drawn and all her senses on alert. A small noise to her right caused her to turn around sharply, only to see a small grey rat running down the hallway. The blonde ex-commando let out a sharp breath before she continued her way, hoping that she would find the man who had killed her parents soon.

"So we meet again." Keiichi spoke, leaning back in his chair while Haruka aimed her gun at him, her eyes blazing with hate. "Seems so, Aoshima." The blonde coldly replied, releasing the safety of her gun which caused a loud clicking noise to echo through the hall. Keiichi flinched visibly at that, causing Haruka to give him a cold, humourless grin. "But I won't waste much time with talking." The ex-commando then spoke, aiming the Colt directly at the criminal's head. "Say your prayers, Aoshima." Slowly, Harukas finger started to bend around the trigger, when suddenly a well-known voice called out: "Haruka! Don't!" Harukas eyebrows shot up in surprise while Keiichi's eyes widened, and the blonde looked over her shoulder to see Michiru and Makoto running towards her. "Get out of here." The blonde now growled, her concentration returning to Keiichi. "You can come back in after you heard the shot." "Haruka, no…don't." Michiru softly pleaded, stepping closer to the blonde. When Haruka didn't react, she moved on until she stood next to her and whispered into her ear: "Killing him won't bring your parents back." Harukas hand tightening around the gun so hard that her knuckles stood out white when she pressed her reply out between gritted teeth. "I know. But I will have my revenge…" "When you kill him, you're no better than he is." Michiru continued, hoping to make Haruka change her opinion with that. "Who cares?" Haruka growled, not noticing how Makoto slowly sneaked up on her from behind. "I do." Michiru softly replied, but before she had a chance to say more, Makoto suddenly hit her over the head hard, knocking her out. The blonde fell to the ground unconscious, Michiru letting out a shocked yelp. "Makoto!" the aqua haired girl cried out, shooting an accusing glare towards her colleague. "I had to keep her from killing him." The brunette replied, almost apologetic, while she picked up Harukas gun and aimed it at the drug dealer. "And you be a nice guy now and let my partner here handcuff you." She ordered. Keiichi was a nice guy and waited until Michiru had put the cuffs on him; then, the two women called the police and waited for them to arrive. 

Michiru slowly entered Harukas apartment, carrying a glass of water and a small pack of pills. "Here, I brought you some aspirin." The aqua haired girl spoke, putting the water and the pills on Harukas desk. Haruka just nodded, sitting at her desk and staring off into distance. "Thanks." She softly spoke. Michiru sensed that the ex-commando wasn't in the mood to talk and just turned to leave when the blondes voice came, causing her to stop. "If you wouldn't have come, I would have killed him." Haruka softly spoke, looking up at her colleague. "I know." Michiru replied, sitting down next to her partner and taking her hand. "But it's good that you didn't, Haruka." The blonde just shrugged and returned her gaze to the window. "Leave me alone now, please…I need to think." Michiru nodded and left the room, gently closing the door behind her. Haruka looked at the photo that showed her with her parents once more and let out a sigh, silently apologizing to her parents for failing her revenge. The sunlight that shone in through the big window fell on the photo, making the glass over it sparkle, as well as Harukas tears that landed on it. 

End of Episode 2


	3. Episode 3: The Black Wolf

Episode 3: The Black Wolf

„Special Unit 2! Nobody moves!" Haruka shouted, aiming her trusty net gun at the men Michiru and she just had surprised in robbing a store. "Shit!" one of the robbers cried out before he turned around and started to run, hoping that he would escape the store before one of the two women got her hands on him. Haruka only took one second to adjust her aim on him, then she pulled the trigger, the net flying out and wrapping around him, making him fall. "Gotcha." Haruka grinned when suddenly another one of the men launched himself at her, trying to punch her. Thanks to her reflexes, the blonde managed to duck the first punch; the knee though came too fast for her to notice and crashed into her face, causing her to fall to the ground with a loud thump. She didn't waste any time with groaning in pain, though her face hurt like hell; instead, her leg shot up, kicking the attacker where the sun wouldn't think of shining. He sank to his knees in pain, and that was when Michiru stepped up to him from behind and knocked him out, grimacing and rubbing her fist afterwards. The other three men were soon defeated and neatly tied up. "Call the police, Michiru." Haruka advised her partner, already feeling how her face started to swell where her attacker had kicked her. "The Black Wolf will make you pay for that." One of the tied up men now growled, causing his comrades to hiss "Shut up!" at him. Haruka perked up at that name, looking at the man who had spoken. "The Black Wolf? Care to tell me who that is?" the blonde asked, but the man just looked away and snorted. Suddenly, Haruka's hands shot forward, closing around the guy's collar, and pulling him closer to her until they were eye to eye. "Tell me, right now!" the blonde growled, causing the man literally to shrink. "He's our boss!" he finally cried out when the grip on his collar tightened so hard that he was almost choking. "We work for him, okay?" "Where can we find him?" Haruka demanded to know, shaking the man she was holding to get an answer. "I don't know! I don't even know what he looks like! He just calls one of us and tells us what to do…" "He tells you to rob a store in the middle of the night?" Haruka asked, slight disbelief in her voice. "Yes he did! He told us to steal food and drinks for him!" the man cried out, hoping that the ex-commando would believe him. Obviously she did, since she finally let go of him and rose to her full length again. "Police is on it's way." Michiru piped in, making Haruka look at her. "Good." The blonde spoke. "Let's get back to the HQ then." Michiru nodded, and the two women left the store, got into the car and drove off.

"Here's an ice pack for your eye, Haruka." Michiru spoke, passing the ice pack over to the blonde who sat in one of the chairs in the spare time room, suffering from a slight headache. "Thanks." Haruka mumbled, accepting the ice pack and putting it on the black eye the robber had given her. "Does it hurt?" Michiru asked, concern for her partner in her voice. Haruka looked at her with one eye, since the other one was covered by the ice pack, and shook her head. "Not too bad…I lived through worse. It's just a black eye after all." She replied, slightly smiling at the aqua haired girl. Michiru smiled back and sat down next to her. "I told Minako to search the database for info on the Black Wolf." The aqua haired girl spoke, leaning back in her chair and looking up at the ceiling. "I don't think that she will find anything." Haruka replied, glancing over at her partner for a moment before readjusting the ice pack on her eye. "No one of us ever heard of him, right?" the blonde then continued, closing her un-covered eye and leaning back in the chair too. "And it seems like Police never heard of him either…so she probably won't find anything." Michiru sighed and nodded. "You're right…but let's wait until Minako comes here with the results." Haruka nodded and put her feet on the desk, the buckles on her combat boots clinkering when she did. "That's not very good manners, Haruka." A cheerful voice suddenly came, causing the blonde to open the eye that was not under the ice pack and look – only to find herself face to face with Usagi, who grinned at her. Haruka just shrugged and closed her eye again, asking: "What's up, Boss?" "Minako finished the search on the Black Wolf. She didn't find anything…except for the mention of a bandit named Black Wolf in literature. In a book from 1890." "From 1890!" Haruka groaned, dropping the ice pack when she sat up. "Are you kidding?" Usagi shook her head and sat down, facing Haruka and Michiru. "No. We assume that the Black Wolf is copying the crimes of the bandit in the book." "And what did that bandit do?" Michiru asked, leaning forward interested. "The things all bandits do…well except for one thing. He kidnapped a close friend of the police chief to force the chief stop chasing him." "Interesting." Haruka mumbled. "Maybe we should keep an eye on the friends of the chief then." Michiru suggested. Usagi shook her head. "I don't think that this will be necessary. We just have to find him somehow, and take him to prison." Michiru nodded, looking at Haruka who sat in the chair next to her, both eyes closed, holding the ice pack with one hand. "Will you help me searching for him, Haruka?" The blonde just nodded before she suddenly tossed the ice pack aside and sat up. "But before, I will go for a walk. I need to buy cigarettes." She informed Michiru, who sighed and shrugged. "Okay. Come to my room when you are back." Haruka nodded and stomped out of the room, closing the door behind her. Usagi sighed as soon as the blonde had left and spoke: "She really should quit smoking." Michiru agreed on that, sighing too. "Yes. Anyway…I'll be in my room, in case you need something." Usagi nodded, and both women left the spare time room, heading down the hallway in different directions.

Haruka walked down the street, not really paying attention to her surroundings and hoping that she would read the tobacco shop soon, since she hated nothing more than walking. Increasing her speed, Haruka passed several dark side alleys without even wasting a look on them – until the loud roar of an engine could be heard from one of them. Frowning, the ex-commando turned her head to look at the car that created the noise, and that was when the vehicle started to speed towards her. 

Haruka let out a surprised yelp when the car approached her at high speed; she tried to jump away to the side, but she was too slow. The car hit her, the bones in her legs cracking loudly when they snapped.  She was thrown over the hood and passed the roof of the car, falling to the ground behind it. The blonde groaned in pain, trying to stand up, only to find out that her legs wouldn't allow that. She could hear how the car stopped and one of the doors opened; then footsteps approaching her. "Is she still alive?" a deep, male voice asked, only to be answered by a slightly higher one. "Let's find out." Seconds later, Haruka could feel how somebody grabbed her wrist, checking for a pulse, and that was when she saw her chance. She lashed out with her free fist, hitting the man who was checking if she still lived square in the face. The man groaned and fell backwards, hitting the ground with a thud, while his companion stormed forward. Haruka just prepared to hit him as well, but before she had the slightest chance to do so, his well-aimed kick found it's mark, the attacker's boot-clad foot connecting with Harukas face. The blonde screamed in pain when her nose suddenly went through a fast and rough change of appearance; it felt as if it suddenly laid on her left cheek. "Shut up!" the man who had kicked her barked, kneeling down next to her and grabbing a fistful of her hair. Then, he smashed her head down on the concrete, knocking her out. He waited for his partner to come to his feet again; together, they grabbed the blonde and threw her into the trunk of their car before they drove off, leaving no sign of what had happened behind.

"Where on Earth is she?" Michiru wondered out loud, glancing at her clock for the fifth time in the last twenty minutes. Haruka had left to buy cigarettes almost an hour ago, and that was more than unusual. Normally, the blonde came back after fifteen minutes, twenty at most. Worried, Michiru pulled out her cell phone, dialling the number of Harukas. After ten rings, the mobile box answered, and that was when Michirus slight worry turned into something bigger. Haruka never turned her cell phone off. _Never.__ Quickly, Michiru ended the call, tucking the phone back into her pocket, before she hurried out of the room, to Usagi's office._

"…up." A deep, male voice drifted into Harukas thoughts, awakening her from her unconsciousness. "Wake up." The voice repeated, and Haruka slowly opened her eyes, trying to will the pain that raced through her body away. She couldn't really remember what had happened; the only thing she knew at the moment was that her legs felt as if somebody had run them over with a car, and something was wrong with her nose too…The splash of cold water that came out of nowhere awoke the ex-commando completely, causing her to jerk up and splutter out a mouthful of water. "Finally." The voice grumbled while Haruka groaned in pain, trying to figure out which part of her body hurt most. The blonde opened her eyes and looked at her surroundings, finding herself tied to a wooden chair in the middle of a small room. Across from her, a tall, black haired man stood leaning against a wall, a black leather suitcase between his feet. "I thought you would never wake up." The man now spoke, before he grinned and spread out his arms. "Welcome at the hide out of the Black Wolf, Haruka." "So you are the Black Wolf." Haruka replied, her voice sounding as if she was having a bad cold, thanks to her broken nose. The man nodded, his grin widening. "Exactly." "What do you want from me?" Haruka asked, trying to ignore the pain that raced through her body. "Nothing from you personally, really." The Black Wolf replied, leaning against the wall again with his arms crossed in front of his chest. "You're just my guarantee that Usagi Tsukino will quit her Special Unit 2 thing." Haruka gave a small laugh and shook her head. "You captured the wrong one then. Nobody there likes me, they just put up with me because I used to be in the army." The Black Wolf chuckled and moved closer to Haruka, bending down until they were eye to eye. "Maybe, Haruka. But you are their best agent. And I know of at least one person in SU2 who does like you…your little partner, Michiru." Haruka shrugged as far as the bonds that held her wrists behind the chair allowed it, trying to keep her cool composure. "Maybe she does. But Usagi is the one who controls everything." She then replied. The Black Wolf grinned at her once more before he pulled the blondes cell phone out of her jacket. "And that's why we will call her now." He announced before he started searching through the numbers that were saved to the phone. "No Usagi…oh, but Michiru. Good enough, I guess." He mumbled before pressing the "Send" button and holding the phone to Harukas face. "You talk to her." He ordered. Haruka, knowing that she didn't really have a choice, waited until the aqua haired girl answered the phone and spoke: "It's me, Michiru." "Haruka!" Michiru cried out, relief filling her voice. "Where on Earth are you?!" "Listen, I'm in trouble." Haruka started, but suddenly the Black Wolf snatched the phone away from her and spoke into it himself. "Indeed, she is." "Who are you?" Michiru snapped, fear and anger filling her voice. "Oh, you know who I am." The man replied while he walked over to his suitcase and opened it, the position he stood in keeping Haruka from seeing what was inside. He knelt down in front of it, studying it's contents while he spoke on. "Let me talk to your boss." He now ordered, earning a heated "Tell me what you want first!" from Michiru. The Black Wolf snorted into the phone and replied: "Let me talk to you boss now. Or Haruka will have to pay for it." "Don't you dare to touch her!" Michiru cried out, fear for her partner filling her heart. The man grinned and walked over to Haruka, and before blonde knew what was happening, he had lashed out and kicked one of her broken legs. The ex-commandos pain-filled scream echoed through the small room, loud enough for Michiru to hear on the other end of the line. "What did you do to her!" the aqua haired girl cried out, her voice shaking. The Black Wolf just laughed at her and replied: "Will you let me talk to your boss now, or do I have to hurt Haruka again?" "One minute…I'll give her the phone." Michiru replied softly, her worry about Haruka getting the better of her. She hurried out of her apartment and down the hallway, to Usagi's office.

"No way I will give up Special Unit 2!" Usagi shouted into the receiver, her usual cheerful and happy attire blown away. "And you let Haruka go, now!" The man on the other end of the line just laughed. "I will let her go as soon as Special Unit 2 doesn't exist anymore. Until then, I will have my fun torturing her." Usagi's eyes fell on the computer monitor Rei sat in front of, hacking away on the keyboards furiously. "How's it going?" Michiru whispered to the black haired woman, earning a small smile in return. "We almost have him." Rei whispered back, watching the tracking process intently. Michiru let out a small sigh and sat down next to Usagi, who was still talking to the Black Wolf on the phone. "No! And that's my last word!" the young blonde woman barked into the receiver, and seconds later, Michiru could hear Haruka screaming again. The aqua haired girl whimpered and closed her eyes for a second. That was when the computer produced a small beeping noise, and Rei did a small jump in her chair. "The tracking is complete." She then whispered, while Usagi looked over at her and grinned, giving her a thumbs-up. "You heard my answer." She then spoke into the phone, her voice stern. "I will not give up Special Unit 2, and if you know what's good for you, you let Haruka go now." With that, she hung up and turned to look at Michiru. "Get Makoto and Ami and drive over there. I have the feeling that Haruka might need medical attendance." She softly spoke. Michiru nodded and hurried out of the room, running to get her two colleagues.

The Black Wolf hung up the phone and threw it to the ground carelessly, letting out a heavy sigh before he looked at Haruka again. "Seems like you're right. Usagi really doesn't care a lot about you." The only response he got from Haruka was a small groan; the pain in the blondes legs was nearly driving her insane, as well as her broken nose that ached as if somebody kept hitting it repeatedly with a hammer. Now, the Black Wolf studied his prisoner for a while, before he knelt down next to his suitcase again and pulled a Black & Dekker drill machine out. He plugged the tool in and turned it on, the loud noise it created causing Haruka to slowly raise her head. When her eyes fell on the drill, they widened visibly. "I promised Usagi I would torture you a bit." The Black Wolf now spoke, approaching the tied up blonde with the roaring machine in his hands. "And I keep my promises." Haruka tried to move away from him when he kept approaching her, the drill in his hands suddenly a deadly weapon. "No." she croaked out, her voice slightly shaking. "No…" The Black Wolf gave her another grin, this time a pretty cruel one, before he moved the drill down. Seconds later, it started to dig into Harukas upper leg, causing blood to splatter while the ex-commando screamed loud enough to overtone the noise the drill created. The Black Wolf just laughed and added more pressure on his tool, causing it to continue it's painful way while the flow of blood that emerged from the wound increased. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the pain was too much for Haruka to bear, and her head slumped forward. Her torturer gave her a disappointed look and turned his drill off, pulling it out of the wound he had caused with it. "I hate it when they fall unconscious." He mumbled, cleaning the drill and putting it back into the suitcase before he left the small room, slamming the door close behind him and locking it. 

Makoto drove the car down the street over to the place where the Black Wolf had been located – an inconspicuous house in one of the richer districts of Tokyo – and parked in front of it, frowning. "Are you sure that this is the right place?" the brunette then asked, earning a nod from Ami in reply. "Yeah…Rei marked it on the map. It has to be here." "Strange." Michiru mumbled while she checked if her narcotic gun was loaded. "I heard Haruka scream over the phone…one of the neighbours must have heard her, why didn't anyone call the police?" "Maybe he keeps her in the cellar." Ami mumbled in reply while she grabbed her black doctor's briefcase. The three women got out of the car and marched over to the house, Makoto deciding that they should enter it the traditional way – with knocking. She walked up to the front door and hammered her fist against it several times, until it was opened by a young man with brown hair. "Yes?" he asked, eyeing the three women cautiously. "We are here to get a friend of us." Michiru sweetly spoke, knowing what would happen to the poor guy soon. "A friend? There ain't no friend of you, Ma'am." The young man replied, and it was obvious that he was lying. "Oh, we think otherwise." Makoto replied before her fist shot forward and connected with the guys face, sending him to the ground and knocking him out. "Nice punch." Ami remarked, earning a proud smile from the taller brunette before the trio entered the house and closed the door behind them. 

"There has to be a cellar somewhere." Makoto spoke thirty minutes later, obviously annoyed. "We searched through the whole house, and no sign of Haruka." "A secret entrance probably." Ami mused while her eyes searched for any hints where the entrance could be. "If it's secret, we'll probably never find it." Michiru groaned, leaning at a bookshelf while she did. And suddenly, a weird clicking noise could be heard, and the bookshelf swung backwards, nearly causing the squealing aqua haired girl to fall down the stairs that were hiding behind it. (A/N: Credit and Thank You for this idea go to Haruka-Chan! :D Thanks again for helping!) "…nice trick." Ami finally spoke as soon as she had gotten over her surprise. Michiru grinned sheepishly and shrugged before the three women made their way down the stairs, into the Black Wolf's secret hideout. 

"Seems like we are getting company." The Black Wolf spoke, looking at his prisoner with a mischief glint in his eyes. All the reply he got was a small groan Haruka let out; even if she had had the strength to speak after the torture and beatings she just gone through, the cloth that had been tied between her teeth wouldn't have allowed it. "I guess it's your friends from Special Unit 2." The Black Wolf now continued. "Well, I will give them a proper welcome." With that, he pulled a heavy gun out of the suitcase he had brought with him, loaded it and quickly left the room.

Michiru, Ami and Makoto were sneaking down the hallway that led deeper into cellar, all three of them having their senses on high alert. Which was a very good thing, as they found out only seconds later when a suspicious clicking noise came from the next corner. "To the ground!" Makoto whispered frantically, dropping down while the words were still leaving her mouth, followed by Ami and Michiru only moments later. The next thing they knew was that a shot rang and hit the wall, just where their heads had been only moments ago. "Bastard!" Makoto cried out while the sound of retreating footsteps could be heard. The brunette jumped up and started to run down to hall, followed by Michiru who pulled out her narcotic gun while she ran. "Stop right there! Special Unit 2!" Makoto howled, only to be answered with another shot that – thank Goodness – missed her and hit the wall again. "Let me get a free line of fire!" Michiru yelled behind her, causing Makoto to jump to the side quickly. Michiru brought her narcotic gun up and aimed at the retreating figure of the Black Wolf, pulling the trigger in the next second. The small arrow flew out of the barrel and hit the man in the back in the next instant; at first, he kept running, but after a few meters, his speed decreased, and finally he fell to the ground, unconscious. "Good shot." Makoto spoke, earning a smile from the aqua haired girl. "Training." Was all Michiru replied before she tucked her gun back into the pocket of her jacket and continued her way down the hallway, looking for her blonde partner. 

"Dear God! Haruka!" Upon hearing the voice of her partner, Haruka slowly raised her head, letting out another pain filled groan. Michiru stormed into the room, freeing her partner from the gag. "My God…" Makoto choked out behind her, obviously shocked at the state the blonde was in. "Ami!" the brunette then yelled while Michiru started to untie Harukas wrists, holding her to keep her from falling off the chair as soon as she was done. The blonde groaned in pain, holding on to Michiru like a drowning woman on a piece of wood that just happened to swim by. "Shht." Michiru whispered into her partner's ear, trying to calm her down. "Shht, it's okay. We'll get you into the headquarter…it's okay."

"Will she be okay?" Usagi softly asked, looking at Ami, who nodded in reply. The two women stood outside the room Haruka laid in, looking in through the door; next to the bed the blonde was resting and recovering in, Michiru sat, holding her hand and talking to her softly. Neither Ami nor Usagi could hear what the aqua haired girl was saying, but it seemed to help, since Haruka was dozing by now and close to sleep soundly. "She will need a lot of rest…and lots of time to heal." The blue haired doctor now spoke, looking at her boss again. "Both of her legs are broken, and what that bastard did to her upper leg…and the beatings…it will take at least two months until she is back to her old form." Usagi nodded and looked at the by now sleeping blonde was once. "Do all you can for her." She then begged, her gaze returning to the doctor once more. "And give her all the time she needs." Ami nodded, and Usagi walked off, into the direction of her office. Ami closed the door that lead into Harukas room, leaving Michiru and the ex-commando behind alone. The aqua haired girl remained by Harukas side for the rest of the night, never letting go of her hand; even when she fell asleep herself, she kept holding it. And when Haruka awoke in the next morning, finding her partner asleep next to her bed, she didn't pull her hand back either. 

End of Episode 3.


	4. Episode 4: Shadows Of The Past Part I

Episode 4: Shadows Of The Past – Part I

"Are you sure that you can get out of bed already?" Michiru asked, slight doubt in her voice. Haruka gave her a short glance and nodded. "Yeah. My legs are healed, as well as that drill hole…I'm perfectly fine." The blonde then replied while she already was halfway out of the bed, putting the covers aside. When she put weight on her right leg though, she suddenly groaned in pain and grabbed the spot where the Black Wolf had used his drill two months ago. "Haruka!" Michiru cried out, shocked, grabbing the blondes shoulders worried. "Are you okay?" Haruka nodded, the expression of pain vanishing from her eyes while she let go of her leg. "Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry." She then spoke, standing up without any problems this time. Michiru shot her another worried look despite what her tall partner had said, then sighed and nodded. "Fine, if you say so…I guess I'll just have to trust you." The last words were accompanied with a small wink, causing Haruka to frown at her partner. "Yeah." She finally spoke, not realizing what Michiru intended to say. Not bothering to look at the aqua haired girl once more, Haruka got out of her pyjama's and changed into her usual black attire before she looked at Michiru once more. "I'll be right back." The blonde mumbled, returning to her usual cold behaviour without even noticing it. During the two months she had been forced to spend in bed, Michiru and her had spent a lot of time together; Michiru refused to go on missions with anyone else than Haruka, and so Makoto and Rei had taken most of the cases Special Unit 2 had received. Thanks to the amounts of time the two women had spent together, they had grown a little closer, and Haruka had slightly opened herself up to Michiru; still, the aqua haired girl had been unable to find out why Haruka was always in such a bad mood, but at least the blonde had become more friendly around her. And now it seemed as if all of that was forgotten…Michiru let out a small sigh and sat down on the bed Haruka had been lying in, staring up at the ceiling. _Haruka…why? Why are you so determined to keep me from getting closer to you? And why don't you notice the signals I send out all the time? God, I love you so much…Letting out another sigh, Michiru finally rose from the bed again and ran one hand through her long aqua coloured locks before she left the room too, gently closing the door behind her. _

Five minutes after she had left the room, Michiru encountered Usagi on the hallway while she was on her way to her apartment. "Michiru!" the cheerful blonde called out, waving over to the aqua haired girl, who increased her speed until she met up with her boss. "Do you have any idea where Haruka is?" Usagi now asked, sounding slightly impatient. "I checked the room in the medical ward, but she's not there anymore…" "Yeah, she got out of bed already…what do you need from her?" the aqua haired girl demanded to know, her curiosity getting the better of her. Usagi frowned and looked at her colleague before she replied: "There's someone at the door who wants to talk to her." Michirus eyebrows went up while she asked: "Someone who wants to talk to her? A friend, or what?" Usagi shrugged and leaned against the wall, stuffing her hands in the pockets of her blue jeans. "I don't know if he's a friend of her…but he's from the army, that's for sure. He's wearing a uniform." Michiru frowned at that, wondering if Haruka really wanted to see someone from the army. She knew that the blonde had been a soldier before she had joined Special Unit 2, but for some reason she had left the army, and no one of her colleagues knew why she had done that. "Well", Michiru now spoke, looking at her boss again, "I'll try to find her. She's probably at her favourite window again, smoking." Usagi nodded and smiled at the aqua haired woman. "Send her to my office please as soon as you found her." She then begged, and Michiru agreed on that before she walked off.

"Haruka! There you are!" Michiru called out cheerfully as soon as she had spotted the blonde, who was sitting on the window sill and – of course – smoking. "What do you want." Haruka grumbled in response, threw her cigarette out of the window and closed it. "Usagi asked me to send you to her office." Michiru replied, trying hard to ignore the hard tone Haruka had spoken with. "She says that somebody is there waiting for you." The ex-commando's eyebrows shot up until they almost met her hairline. "Somebody waiting for me, eh." She then repeated before letting out a sigh and getting off the window sill. "Fine. See you later." With that, she walked off, leaving Michiru behind alone once more. 

Usagi and her guest both looked up when the door of the cheerful blonde's office opened and Haruka entered, looking slightly impatient. Her expression changed from impatience to pure anger though when she saw who was sitting in the chair that stood in front of Usagi's desk. "What are _you _doing here?" she clenched out between gritted teeth, her voice trembling with rage. The man jumped up from the chair and rose his hands. "Haruka, please, calm down…" he started, but before Usagi or he had a chance to say more, Haruka had moved up to him, grabbed his throat and held him up against the wall, glaring at him with so much hate that her eyes nearly seemed to blaze with fire. "Haruka!" Usagi finally managed to cry out, her voice clearly showing her shock. "What are you doing?! Let go of him!" Ignoring her, the blonde kept glaring at the soldier – or more likely, colonel, like the insignias on his uniform showed – and asked: "What do you want?" "I…I need your help." The colonel finally blurted out, though the steel-like grip around his throat made it hard to speak. "My help?" Haruka just snorted at that, but finally let go of him again. "What could you need my help for?" Usagi slowly stepped back, watching the two with anxiety, fearing that Haruka could attack the poor guy again any second. The colonel coughed and straightened his tie, looking at Haruka with slight fear written over his face. "I guess you still remember Hiroshi…?" Much to Usagi's surprise, a hurt look appeared on Harukas face for one second, only to be replaced with the well-known coldness immediately. "How could I forget him." She replied, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her black pants. "What's wrong with him?" she then asked, looking at the colonel once more. "He went crazy." The elder man softly replied, his eyes meeting Harukas for the first time ever since they had started talking. "Oh, you mean he wasn't before?" Haruka asked, mock interest in her voice, and suddenly, the colonel stepped forward and punched her. Hard. The blonde ex-commando stumbled backwards in shock, blood running from her mouth while the colonel shouted at her: "Snap out of your I'm-a-poor-victim attitude for two minutes and _listen to me!" Haruka just kept staring at him for a few more moments, then her eyes clouded over with pure anger and hate. Letting out a low growl, the blonde literally jumped the colonel, her fingers closing around his collar, lifting him from the ground and smashing him against the wall. "Do you want to say that I'm anything else than a victim?" she snarled, pressing the words out between clenched teeth. "Haruka!" Usagi cried out. "Put him __down!" Haruka just shot her one glare, and that was enough to make her fall silent again. Growling once more, the blonde returned her gaze to the colonel, who looked down at her with fear in his eyes. "I was forced to leave the army." Haruka now spoke, articulating the words slowly as if she was speaking to a five year old. "Hiroshi pulled some nasty trick on me, and I was forced to leave the army because of what I am!" "You…you were forced to leave because you failed the raid test." The colonel stammered in return, trying to keep his voice steady. No one of the three in Usagi's office noticed how the door opened and Michiru poked her head in, shocked at what she saw. What she heard next though shocked her even more. "I did not fail the raid test." Haruka spoke on, still talking slowly. "Hiroshi faked the result because he found out _that I'm homosexual!" _The last three words were screamed out loud enough to make the walls shake, and the colonels eyes widened visibly at that. "Haruka, that…that can't be true…" he mumbled, while the tight grip around his collar slowly loosened and he started to feel the ground underneath his feet again. "Homosexuality…was never a problem for the army…" he continued, sounding as if he was in a daze. "It was for Hiroshi." Haruka softly replied before her eyes met those of the colonel, capturing them. "And now ask me again if I want to help you." She then added, the anger vanishing from her eyes once more to be replaced with such deep sadness that it almost seemed to pain her physically. Before anyone of the other three – Michiru had sneaked in completely without anyone noticing – had a chance to react, the blonde had turned around and stomped out of the room, slamming the door close behind her. After a few moments of standing there frozen, Michiru shot one last glance at the colonel and Usagi before she hurried out of the room too, hoping that she would find Haruka in the huge building before the blonde had a chance to run off. _

Half an hour later, Michiru had given up on finding her blonde partner. She just passed the gym, sighing with worry for the blonde, when she heard suspicious beating sounds from behind the door that led into the training room. Stopping, Michiru checked the schedule that was pinned to the notice board, frowning when she read that the gym was supposed to be empty now. Slowly, the aqua haired girl opened the door, only to find herself looking at Harukas back, who kept hitting the punching ball repeatedly. Every time her fist met the rough leather of the ball, bright red spots were left behind. Michirus eyes widened when she realized that it was blood; Haruka probably had hit the wall again before she had moved over to the punching ball. "Haruka! Haruka, stop!" the aqua haired girl cried out, running up to the blonde and grabbing her hand before she hit the ball once more. The ex-commandos knuckles were covered in blood, the red liquid running down over the back of her hand. "Stop." She softly repeated, gently reaching out with her free hand to cup Harukas cheek and make the blonde look at her. "Leave me alone." Haruka spoke, her voice hoarse and slightly shaking. "No, I won't." Michiru replied, gently squeezing Harukas hand. "Someone needs to tend to those knuckles of yours." "No need to." The blonde replied, pulling her hand out of Michirus grasp. "Then let me tend to your soul." Michiru softly spoke, moving even closer to the blonde and putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. Haruka gave her an unsure look, not knowing what to expect next. "I heard what you said to the colonel in Usagi's office." The aqua haired girl now continued, her eyes never leaving those of the blonde. "Why you were forced to leave the army." She paused for a moment before she continued, her next words hitting closer to the truth than Haruka liked it. "You hate yourself because of what you are, Haruka, right? That's why you are always in such a bad mood. But let me tell you one thing, there's no reason to hate yourself just because for being homosexual. It's okay. And…" "What do you know?" Haruka suddenly interrupted her, the old anger returning to her voice. "You know nothing! The fact that I was born to be a fucking _dyke _ruined my career in the army…all my life, I never wanted to be anything else than a commando, and I just when I had reached that goal…they found out what I am, _and forced me to leave for it!" _"And hating yourself and everyone around you will help you to solve that problem, right?" Michiru shot back, causing Haruka to shut up for a few moments. The aqua haired girl of course took the chance given and quickly continued speaking. "Maybe they made you leave the army because you are gay. I understand your hurt and anger about that, because it was just wrong. But it's no reason to throw away your life!" "I didn't throw away my life." Haruka mumbled, for the first time since their talk had started not snapping at the smaller woman. "Not yet." Michiru softly replied. "But if you keep going on like that – hating yourself for what you are – you can as well kill yourself. Think about what I said." With that, she turned around and left the room, Haruka staring after her dumbfounded.

Three heads – the colonel's, Usagi's and Michiru's – rose when the door to Usagi's office opened and Haruka slowly walked in, looking at Michiru for a moment before her eyes fell on the colonel again. "Tell me what you need." She then spoke, sitting down in front of the man. The colonel gave a relieved sigh, looking at the blonde thankfully. "As I told you before", he then started, leaning back in his seat, "Hiroshi went crazy. He managed to get almost all of his commando soldiers on his side – you know how loyal all of them are, no matter how crazy the mission is they get – and…killed off most people at the army base in one night." "What?" Haruka cried out, obviously shocked at that. "How's that possible?" "They are commando soldiers." The colonel softly replied. "And if forty commandos decide to go on a killing spree, no one notices…until it's too late. They learned how to kill silently – you learned that too, Haruka, and know what I'm talking about – and they were quick." "But…_everyone _on the army base? That's impossible! There must have been two- or three hundred people…" "Twohundredandfiftyone." The colonel blurted out, causing the other three in the room to gasp. "And they killed them all…within one night. And now they locked themselves up in the army base, refusing to come out…" "But how did you escape?" Michiru asked, frowning. "If they killed everyone that night…why not you?" "I wasn't at the base." The colonel replied softly, looking down on the polished tips of his shoes. "I had my free weekend and was at my home, with my wife and son…when it happened." "I see." Haruka mumbled thoughtfully, lightning a cigarette – totally ignoring Usagi's protest. "But what do you need my help for?" "You were a commando too, Haruka." The colonel replied, his gaze meeting the one of the blonde. "You are the only one who can get in there without being noticed…you know how they think, learned what they learned and have all of their skills. If anyone can stop Hiroshi, it's you." "I don't know." Haruka softly replied, taking another deep drag from her cigarette and blowing a cloud of smoke towards the ceiling. "It's been such a long time that I had to use those commando skills…I don't know if I'm still as good as I used to be." "You have to be!" the colonel shot back, leaning forward in his chair. "If you fail…Hiroshi and his men will get what they want." "And that would be?" Michiru now piped in, causing the colonel and Haruka to look at her – the colonel slightly annoyed for interrupting him, Haruka with a look that was hard to describe; it seemed to be a mixture of liking and hate at the same time. "A state reigned by military forces. And if no one stops him, he will get that." The colonel finally replied, his gaze immediately returning to Haruka. "Please, you have to help us!" he nearly begged, almost going down on his knees. Haruka closed her eyes for a second, obviously considering what the colonel wanted her to do. Usagi and Michiru eyed her warily, not sure of what to expect next. Finally, Haruka opened her eyes again, looking at the colonel seriously. "I will help you." She slowly spoke, and the elder man nearly jumped up and kissed her feet. "Under one condition." She then added. The colonel looked up slightly worried, hoping that Haruka wouldn't ask for the moon and the stars as payment. "I can take Michiru with me." The blonde now spoke, in her slow tone again. "And if I succeed, I will get my rank as commando soldier back." "You want to go back into the army?!" Michiru cried out, obviously shocked at that. Haruka looked at her, a slight lopsided smile on her face. "No, Michiru…I just want my rank back. I got dishonoured when they kicked me out, so I have no rank now…and I want that to be changed." Finally, the colonel nodded. "Alright. Take the girl with you, and if you succeed, you will get your rank back…and maybe even a higher one than before. Deal?" Haruka gave him a slight grin and shook his outstretched hand. "Deal."

After Haruka and the colonel had set their deal, Haruka and Michiru got up and left the room, with the intention to head over to Amy's lab and get her newest weapons for the job. The two women walked next to each other in silence for a while, then Michiru finally spoke up. "Haruka…?"  "Yes?" the blonde asked, looking down at the smaller woman. "Are…are you mad at me for what I said in the gym?" the aqua haired girl softly continued, fearing what the answer might be. "If I was mad at you, do you think I would have asked to take you on the mission with me?" Haruka asked back, stopping dead in her tracks, causing Michiru to stand too. "Well, maybe you did to get me killed." The aqua haired girl replied, only half jokingly. Haruka gave her an odd look and shook her head. "No. Because you are the only one I trust enough to take with me on such a mission." She then replied before letting out a sigh. "I was mad at you." She then admitted, her eyes avoiding Michiru's while she spoke. "At first. But then…I realized you were right." She let out another heavy sigh, her gaze wandering up to the ceiling. "If there's someone I could be mad at, it's myself. For hating what I am…and for pitying myself so much." She looked back at the aqua haired girl, giving her a weak, unsure smile. Michiru smiled back and gently reached out to take Haruka's hand. The blonde let this happen without protesting or pulling back – a sign for Michiru that she was on the right way. "Remember, Haruka…", the aqua haired girl now spoke, capturing the blondes gaze with hers, "if you need someone to talk, I'm there. Always." Haruka gave her another grin, this time a broader one, and nodded. "Thanks." She then replied, letting her cool and tough composure slip for a moment. Before she straightened up again and made a vague gesture down the hallway. "Let's better get walking again. I want to start as soon as possible." Michiru nodded, and together, the two women started to hurry down the hallway again, towards Amy's lab. 

"And you're that this will work?" Haruka asked while she eyed Amy's newest inventions, an innocent looking pack of chewing gum and a seemingly normal wrist watch. "Just try it." Amy replied casually, leaning against her lab desk with a slight smile on her face. Haruka shrugged before popping one of the gums into her mouth, chewing around on it for a while before she spit it back out, against the iron plate that stood a few meters away. The gum got stuck to it, and seconds later, an explosion rang through the lab. Michiru giggled and looked at Amy approvingly. "Exploding chewing gum. You never cease to amaze me, Amy." The scientist smiled at the aqua haired girl and shrugged. "That's my job. But be careful with it, you two, if it explodes while you still have it in your mouth, you won't have no teeth left." Haruka nodded, tucking the pack of gum into the back pocket of her jeans. "Now to the watch." She mumbled, taking her own one off and putting the one Amy had readied for her on. She fumbled around on the buttons for a bit, then found the right one and pushed it. An almost invisible string of nylon rope shot out of the watch, the small hook that was attached to it unfolding while it flew, until it got caught at the upper edge of the high iron plate. "Now push the other button." Amy advised the blonde ex-commando, who did as she had been told. The cord got pulled back into the watch with a high humming sound, pulling Haruka up until she dangled a few meters above the ground, gripping to the iron plate with both hands. "Interesting." The blonde commented before she let go of the plate and landed on her feet safely. "The nylon cord is strong enough to hold the weight of both of you, and pull you upwards to all possible heights, from one meter up to fifteen. I suggest that Haruka keeps the watch, since it will be easier for her to hold you, Michiru, instead of the other way round." Michiru nodded, a mischief glint suddenly filling her eyes. "Can I get the gum then?" she asked, causing both Amy and Haruka to chuckle slightly – with Amy chuckling for a much shorter time, since her eyes went wide when she heard how the blonde produced the for her unusual sound. As soon as the blue haired scientist had calmed down again, she opened of the drawers of her desk and pulled out a second pack of the exploding chewing gum, handing it to Michiru. "Here…now both of you have one. And remember what I told you about your teeth." She then added with a wink. Both Haruka and Michiru nodded before Haruka pulled out her car keys, giving a slight smile towards her partner. "Shall we leave then?" she asked, making the keys jingle with a slight shake of her hand. Michiru nodded, the two said their goodbyes to Amy, who wished them good luck, and left the lab, heading out into the garage. Both women got into the car, Haruka as always being the driver. The blonde started the engine and drove off, towards the Tokyo Army Base – not knowing that she and Michiru were driving directly to the most dangerous mission of their careers yet.

End of Episode 4 and Part I.


End file.
